False Witness is the eleventh in the DCI Thackeray and his long time girlfriend, journalist Laura Ackroyd series set in the fictional Yorkshire town of Bradfield.
Thackeray has been away in Staffordshire investigating corruption within the police force. Whilst he was away a young black pupil from Woodlands school has been arrested for the murder of the Headmaster. The DCI in charge of the case, Charles ‘Len’ Hutton, is a known racist and there is soon a campaign saying that the boy is innocent and the police have only arrested him because he is black. One of the campaigners is Joyce Ackroyd, Laura’s grandmother and she asks Laura to ask Thackeray to have another look at the case. Meanwhile the campaign to close down Woodlands, a school for disturbed children, continues, headed by the school’s middle class neighbours.
Thackeray makes some enquiries but the police remain happy with the case against the boy until Laura manages to make contact with a witness whose information starts the investigation on another track. Meanwhile Thackeray has big personal problems as his wife, who has been institutionalised for the last twelve years after murdering their baby son and trying to commit suicide, is finally about to die. Hutton, apparently after Thackeray’s job, is determined to make things difficult.
False Witness is wellwritten with a puzzling mystery as to who killed the Headmaster . Additional suspects are brought to light through Laura’s sleuthing for her paper. The book is quite a sad read as the main characters’ relationship deteriorates and Thackeray’s world begins to fall down around him. Threaded through the story are comments on the education system, New Labour and racism in the police force.
Michael Tudor Barnes provides a superb narration including a variety of Yorkshire
accents and I particularly warmed to his Kevin Mower, Thackeray’s sergeant and
Mary Morris, deputy head of Woodlands.
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Karen Meek